It's the End of the Road for This Waterlogged Roller Coaster

On Tuesday, onlookers gathered to witness a roller coaster truism: What goes up must come down. Except in this case, it wasn't thrill-seekers rocketing down a steep incline but rather the ride itself.

The Jet Star had been pushed into the ocean by Superstorm Sandy, and it's been sitting there, like some kind of testament to the will of nature, for the past seven months. Crews began taking the coaster down Tuesday, and say they should have it completely dismantled by the end of the week.

At beach attractions across New York and New Jersey, owners are making their final repairs and tweaks before visitors (hopefully) roll in. As the Associated Press reports:

Five months after Superstorm Sandy's surge swamped New York City's most storied beach destination, many businesses are pinning their hopes on a strong season to help them make up for the hundreds of thousands of dollars they have spent to get back up and running.

"We're almost dead, but we're open," said D.J. Vourderis, whose family owns and operates Deno's Famous Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. "We've built it; now we're just waiting for them to come."

Workers use a crane to remove remnants of the Jet Star roller coaster that have been left in the ocean after Superstorm Sandy hit Seaside Heights last year, in New Jersey. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

Residents at a waterfront bar take photographs as a crane works to remove remnants of the Jet Star roller coaster that had been left in the ocean after Superstorm Sandy hit Seaside Heights last year, in New Jersey. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)A roller coaster sits in the ocean after the boardwalk it was built upon collapsed during Hurricane Sandy. (Andrew Burton/Reuters)

The Casino Pier Amusement park, including its partially submerged roller coaster, is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, in this October 31, 2012 handout satellite photo courtesy of NOAA. (Reuters)